URISA's Caribbean GIS Conference

The URISA Caribbean GIS Conference developed out of discussions that took place during the 1999 Esri International User Conference in San Diego, California between URISA staff and members in the Caribbean . An unmet educational need was identified, a business case was made, and the first conference took place September 9-12, 2001 in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Since then, the conference has successfully taken place eight times and has come to be known as the premier geospatial event in the region.

Caribbean GIS professionals are at the forefront of technology adoption and are regularly acknowledged for outstanding accomplishments across the region.

Explore the history of the conference through this Story Map. Click on the image below:

There was certainly a need for a community and a robust URISA Caribbean Chapter has developed from conference activities.

A 2018 event is planned to be announced soon! Stay tuned for announcements about future events and visit the URISA Caribbean Chapter website for additional news.

Known for outstanding educational content and an active exhibitor presence and support, the conference has evolved into a not-to-miss event. A committee of generous GIS leaders from government, academia and the business sector, discusses and debates presentation and workshop proposals and collaboratively creates the educational program.

Usually presented every two years, the conference most recently took place in Barbados.

Click on the following link to review the abundance of education that was presented at the conference, including the one-day focused program track, developed in partnership with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) that explored best practices for utilizing GIS and other tools to prepare, respond, and manage disasters: Online Conference Schedule

“The URISA Caribbean GIS conference is the premier geospatial event in the Caribbean. It is the best place to see and discuss all aspects of geospatial technologies with like-minded individuals. I am consistently amazed at the great educational content. I simply never miss the URISA Caribbean Conference and I always encourage others to attend. When they do, they are always impressed with the quality of the event." - Valrie Grant, MSc,GISP - Managing Director, GeoTechVision

"Attending the URISA Caribbean GIS conference always proves to be a exhilarating, learning experience, well worth the time with great networking opportunities available. I think this geospatial event is a great use of money by any GIS professional seeking to perfect their craft in the Caribbean. There's always a wide spectrum of attendees, presenters, keynote speakers, etc. to interact with, who represent a wide cross-section of public and private industries, agencies and academic institutions not only from the the Caribbean region but as far as North America and Europe. I am always excited about walking away with ideas, insights and information on how to implement world-class GIS business models for my organization better and more efficiently each and every time. DON'T MISS THE CARIBBEAN'S PREMIER GIS CONFERENCE!" - Fidel Omar-Ali, Telecommunications Services of Trinidad & Tobago Limited (TSTT)

Make Plans to Join the Informed and Enthusiastic Caribbean GIS Community in 2018!